September 26th, 2007
Prolify turns email into an enterprise collaboration hub
While new kinds of collaboration solutions are popping up like dandelions in the summer, most people still collaborate, often poorly, via email. At DEMOfall 07, Prolify introduced a collaboration environment that uses Outlook, as well as Web and mobile email, as a hub to integrate and synch with other applications, such as CRM, ERP, Microsoft Project and salesforce.com. It allows users to assign, coordinate and track activities and projects without leaving email.
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Prolify displays visual maps of requests and the status of activities and assigned resources from across different systems.
“We are not trying to replace project management applications. We let people work the way they are accustomed to and get more more people to involved,” said Prolify CEO Ariela Avni.”We allow people to work in the environment of their choice and on an ad hoc basic and push the information from the back end to their inbox.”
With email as a hub, less training is required and it provides a common context and environment collaboration and project management. Prolify also bi-directionally synchs data between email and back-end applications, and provides a dashboard for analyzing projects and activities.
Prolify is working with HP to add IT governance to its product, according to CTO Arie Kogan. Prolify has a handful of customers piloting the software currently. The company is providing the software for free for 6 to 12 months, said Avni, and subsequently will be priced on a per-user-per-month subscription basis (less than $10 per month) or perpetual license.
Dan Farber, editor-in-chief of CNET News.com, has more than 20 years of experience as an editor and journalist covering technology. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
